A P-31 Nuclear magnetic resonance technique was developed to monitor the reaction kinetics of the Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase conversion of adenosine triphosphate to 3'5' cyclic adenosine monophosphate and pyrophosphate. Simultaneous monitoring of the reaction by earlier methods and this method provide excellent correlation of reaction times. The NMR method allows hands-off monitoring of both reactants and products for extended periods. Calmodulin activator and mellitin inhibition were measured by the separation and NMR techniques. The use of infrared spectroscopy as a possible analytical tool to monitor changes in body composition of patients with anorexic and bulemic disorders is being explored. Early studies gave reproducible calibration curves, but patient samples have given some questionable results. Sources of error are being explored.